King of The World
by deathraptor22
Summary: Part 14 of the Semi-Domestic Adventures Series. Song fic. Mulder will always dance with his princess.


King of The World

 _Spinning around on the tops of his feet_

 _Smiles of the angels could not be so sweet._

If someone had told Fox Mulder twenty or so years ago that he would be swaying to the greatest hits of Disney with a rather diminutive dance partner, he would have told them he didn't find that very likely. Yet, here he was, dipping a redhead that barely went above his knee.

Sam shrieked, one of her pigtails coming undone. "I'm not a prep, Papa! We're dancing!"

"This _is_ dancing." Mulder informed her, "It's called a dip. I usually work a little better when the partners are closer in height. And how do you know what prep is?"

"You and Mommy say it." Sam answered.

"Oh, do we?" Mulder challenged, pulling her back up.

"Yeah." Sam grinned.

 _Bright blue eyes and piggy tails swirl_

 _She's a Daddy's girl._

' _Because he knows the jokes that always make her laugh._

 _He takes her for ice cream instead of her nap._

Sam dug her spoon into her double chocolate chunk ice cream topped with hot huge and chocolate sprinkles. If her father did this every time, she made the honor roll, she was going to get it as many times as she could.

The man in question had finished a spoonful of his own vanilla bowel when his phone rang. Looking at it he said, "It's your Mom." Then he answered, "Hey, Scully."

"Hey," Scully responded, "Where are you guys?"

"Well, it turns out our little scholar here made the A honor roll." Mulder explained, "So I, ah, I took her out for ice cream."

"Mulder…" Scully began.

"Now, Scully dinner is hours away." Mulder reasoned, "And she's made healthy choices. She's a health nut, just like her Mom."

Sam laughed, as, even at six, she knew what she was certainly _not_ healthy.

"Hey, don't rat me out here." Mulder whispered, covering the receiver with his hand.

Sam innocently but another spoonful in her mouth.

Finishing up with his wife, Mulder hung up. "Thanks, covering me, Sam."

"You're welcome." Sam quipped and Mulder couldn't help but smile.

 _At the end of the day by the light of the moon,_

 _They turn up the music in their living room,_

 _And she yells,_

Fox Mulder was at her desk when he felt a little tug on sleeve. Then a voice asked, "Papa? Papa?"

Mulder looked to see Sam in her pink and purple princess dress staring up at him. "What is it, honey?"

"I've been invited to a ball and I need to practice my dancing." Sam explained.

"Oh, really?" Mulder asked, an eye going back to his work for a moment.

"Yes." Sam confirmed, "Please, Papa?"

Standing up and allowing himself to be led, Mulder agreed. "Sure."

 _Dance me! Dance me around, till my feet don't ever touch down._

 _There's nothing better than being your girl,_

 _And if I am your princess then Daddy,_

 _You are the king of the world!_

Scully watched Mulder being led in an awkward dance, smiling. Sam adored her father. Like mother like daughter with that.

She may have never asked him to dance, Sam was slightly more girlie then she had been, even at that age. But she worshipped her father all the same. Maybe it was the way with all girls. Back then when everything was sparkly and new and had a certain wonder to it.

 _It's funny how life moves in circles at times._

 _To think not so long ago, that face was mine._

"Scully!" Mulder called put, "Did you have something to do with this?"

Scully walked down the hall to see there thirteen-year-old daughter wearing a very short skirt.

"No, I didn't." Scully said, reaching out and pulling down the skirt, revealing it was much more tasteful length, "I had something to do with _this._ "

"Mom, come on!" Sam protested, "All the other girls wear skirts like that, while you dress me up like a nun or something!"

"Don't you think you might be being a bit over dramatic?" Mulder spoke up.

"Over the—err!" Sam exclaimed, turning back to her room to go get her back pack.

After a moment Mulder declared, "Scully, I think Samantha's possessed."

Scully smirked. "Mulder, she's not possessed."

"Well, then what's happening?" Mulder asked, "Why has our sweet, adorable precocious child who was like some kid out of a YA novel turn into that—sullen, moody creature that just stormed off?"

"That creature is called a teenage girl." Scully informed him, "Sam is merely suffering from a common condition called puberty." After a beat she added, "Why do you think we eat so much chocolate?"

 _Houses get smaller, we take different names._

 _But some things in life never change._

Two days later, Sam had the music blaring in her room, twirling and lept around her bed.

"Hey, Sam!" Mulder shouted from office, "Turn it down!" However, nothing changed.

Walking to her room, Mulder rapped on the door thing,

which this time got her attention. "Can you turn it down a knoch? Or, twenty, maybe?"

"Sorry." Sam responded apologetically, going over and turning it down.

"Thanks, Kiddo." Mulder said, before turning around.

"Hey, Pops?" Sam called out, causing Mulder to pause and turn around, "You want to have dance?"

Mulder paused for a moment. His little girl still wanted to dance with him. He broke into smile and walked into the room, taking her hand and twirling her.

 _Dance me! Dance me around till my feet don't ever touch now._

 _There's nothing better than being your girl._

 _And if I am your princess then daddy_

 _You are the king of the world!_

"Mulder, you can't stall forever."

Fox Mulder was currently rearranging his daughter's bags for the fifth time. "Says who?"

"It's not going to stop her from going." Scully told him gently, before quipping, "At least I hope not with the tuition the three of us had already doled out." Sam had been saving and paid as much as she could, still, her parents wound up contributing most of it.

"Well, then we lock her in the closet and don't let her leave." Mulder protested. The world was too big and too dangerous for their little girl to be out in it. Two much could go wrong.

"Mulder," Scully responded, walking up to the man question and giving him a hug. After a moment she said, "We can't do that. That's kidnapping now." After a beat she added, "Now, we have to trust that we've raised a smart, independent young woman who can function on her own and knows how to avoid bad situations. And it's just two hours away."

As far as Mulder was concerned it was two hours too many, but he knew he had to let Sam go.

Just then Sam came out, carrying a bag. "This is the last of it." She declared.

Mulder opened the back door from her. "Let me help you with that."

 _Someday she'll go off and find a life of her own._

 _Marry a good man,_

 _And make a happy home._

Mulder, now with full head of gray hair and mile wrinkling on his face, was trying his best not to cry, as he looked at Sam, who, at twenty-six, was dressed in a long sleeve, lacy ecru dress, complete with lacy veil, clutching and white and pink bouquet.

"Dad, are you going to be okay?" Sam asked.

"Yeah." Mulder confirmed, possibly lying, "You look beautiful."

The music started and the flower girl. Dewy's niece, yes, his daughter was marrying a guy named Dewy, started down the aisle, flowing pink synthetic pedals. The bridesmaid, dressed in tasteful strapless pink dresses followed. Finally, it was time for the bride.

Mulder helped Sam pull down her veil and they started down the aisle.

"You nervous?" Mulder asked.

"Of course, I am." Sam breathed.

"Don't be." Mulder assured her, "You got a great guy here."

"I just—wonder if maybe we should've waited for a little while longer, like you and Mom did." Sam whispered.

"Honey, people aren't supposed to take multiple decades." Mulder told her, "Look, where do you see yourself in ten years?"

"Married to Dewy." Sam smiled, without hesitation.

"I think you know what do then." Mulder said, not believing he was doing this. But he wanted his daughter to be happy.

At last, they made it to the end of isle. "Who gives this woman to this man?" The Priest asked. That's right, Sam and her husband to be had decided on Catholic wedding.

"I do." Mulder got out.

 _Until she comes back and sees with those same eyes,_

 _What time cannot disguise._

"Samantha Scully-Mulder." Sam said to the man at the front gate, "I'm here to see my father."

"He's quite a popular guy." The security officer commented as he opened the gate for her to go through. "Your sister was here just a few days ago."

When it became painfully obvious that Scully had just stopped aging, she had been forced to go underground. The plan was hopefully to eventually resurface as a friend of the family. In the meantime, Mulder _was_ aging and he couldn't get upstairs very well, or read the instructions on the stove. It was getting dangerous for him to stay home alone. Sam and Dewy offered to move him in with them, but all three of them knew they didn't have the room at the moment. But no way were they putting him in a home and Mulder was in agreement with that. In the end they found retirement village. There were people to keep an eye on him and he still retained his freedom. At least until he and Scully could set up somewhere under the guise of his daughter or nurse or something. Which if she was making visits might be sometime soon.

She drove to a little one-story house and stepped out, knocking on the door. "Pop?" She called out, "Pop, it's me."

When she didn't get any response, she tried to peer in the windows. He could be out, but her father was just as popular here as he was at the FBI. It honestly worried her a bit.

Worried, she pulled a key out of her pocket and put in the lock. Stepping in she called out, "Pops, it's me, Sam."

"In here!" Mulder called out.

Sam walked into her father's bedroom which was decorated with weird photos and articles of bizarre tales. The man himself, now slightly bent with a head full of gray hair, was sitting with his back to her at his desk, eating a few sunflower seeds out of a bag.

"Does Mom know about all this?" Sam asked.

Mulder turned around smiling. "Hello to you too." He snarked, going for his cane and hobbling over to his daughter. It was painful for her to watch.

 _She walks through the door with that look on her face,_

 _Cause Daddy's brown hair had all turned to grey._

"Why did I ever like this?" Sam questioned as they sat on the couch watching _Plan 9 From Outer Space_

"I think it was because I watched it." Mulder speculated, "You were equal parts Daddy's _and_ Mommy's girl. Anything we were into you would dive into head first."

"Okay, I don't think I was _that_ mailable." Sam protested.

"I never you _liked_ everything you dived into." Mulder expanded, "In fact, the first time we watched this you spent half the time hiding behind the couch. And the couch was up against the wall. You just started pushing it out so you could get behind it." He imitated her pushing, "And I was still sitting on it! I remember thinking 'how is she this strong? Seriously how much milk are giving her?'"

Sam laughed.

"So, is Double M still having trouble with her numbers?" Mulder asked later, "You never said."

"Well, it's getting better." Sam replied, "But yeah, she's still having a little trouble."

"Well, bring her around sometime, I'll help." Mulder offered.

"Are you going to stuff her candy if I leave you two alone?" Sam asked, raising one eyebrow. In truth she had considered waiting until she could bring the kids with her, but decided that she would just bring them later.

"Hey, I'm Grandpa, spoiling them a little is my job." Mulder reasoned.

"I'll bring them with me next time." Sam promised, "Maybe even Dewy, too."

"Well, don't strain yourself or anything." Mulder snarked, making her smile.

 _They talk for hours they cry and they laugh._

 _Watchin' old movies and thinkin' back._

 _And just as she turns to go…_

"I'm so sorry I can't stay longer." Sam was saying, putting her purse over her shoulder. In fact, she had stayed longer then she had meant to and the sun had set, the world only illuminated by street lights. Good thing Dewy knew to pick up the kids.

"Hey, I'm familiar with the mad dash." Mulder assured her, "Just call me when you get home so I know that you got there safe, okay?"

"Okay." Sam agreed, letting him kiss her cheek. "Love you, Pop."

"Love you too kiddo." Mulder replied.

As Sam opened the door, Mulder turned the radio on and a song began to play. The song they use to dance to.

Sam turned her hand and smirked. Their eyes met and they both knew they were thinking the same thing.

 _She says "Hey, Dad, how bout one for the road?"_

Putting her hands into his, being very careful with their movements, the pair began to sway.

 _Dance me! Dance me around till my feet don't ever touch DOWN!_

It was slow, Mulder couldn't dip her anymore, but neither of them minded. It felt just like old times again. Sam and her Papa, her favorite dance partner.

 _Dance me! Dance me around till my feet don't ever touch down._

 _There's nothing better than being your girl._

 _Oh no there's nothing better than being your girl._

 _And if I am, you're your princess then Daddy_

 _You are the King of the World._

 _King of the world._

The song ended much too soon and the pair broke up hand. "Thanks, Pop."

"Thank _you._ "Mulder responded, "You know I'll always be your dance partner."

Sam smiled, "And you'll always be mine."

Finally, Sam left and arrived at home. When she opened the door, she was greeted with music. "I'm home." She called out, walking up the stairs.

When she got to the stop of the chair, she was greeted to Dewy dancing with their youngest, Monica Margarete Scully-Mulder. Sam couldn't help but smile.

 _Spinning around on the tops of his feet,_

 _Smiles of the angels could not be so sweet._


End file.
